Jason Isbell goes acoustic at Hancher Auditorium

Recording artists often write what they know, and Jason Isbell and his ex-wife Amanda Shires did just that with their most recent divorce albums.

The former's project, "Foxes in the Snow," which will be released March 7, features both melancholy tunes inspired by his fractured relationship and optimistic tunes about a fresh start. Shire's "Nobody's Girl" features a collection of direct cuts, which are full of anger and hurt.

"I listened to Amanda's album, and she and I are saying a lot of similar things," Isbell said while calling from his Nashville home. "Nobody crossed any lines. Fans of ours can enjoy both perspectives. When it comes to these albums, well, life is super complicated. When you're a couple, you change, and she and I aren't the same two people that we were when we got married."

Both have moved on personally and professionally. The latest collection of Isbell's songs benefit from his approach, since the album is solo acoustic.

"Early on, 15 years ago, I had to do a lot of shows to afford my habit of having a band," Isbell said. "I enjoy solo acoustic. I get to control the music in a different way."

Isbell is releasing a solo acoustic album but he's touring with the 400 Unit when he performs Wednesday at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City.

"We worked up some of the new songs for this tour," Isbell said. "But we're touring behind the entire catalog. We've dug up some songs we haven't played in awhile. I put out a lot of records over my career and at this point it's tough to choose what to play. I like to keep it fresh."

The former Drive-By Trucker will sometimes cut fan favorites in order to dust off some seldom played choice cuts.

"I went through a spell when I didn't play ‘Cover Me Up,’ which is my most popular song, for six or eight months" Isbell said. "I didn't feel like I needed to play it. We're lucky the audience isn't made up of casual listeners. The majority of the people who come out to these shows listen to full albums and have different takes. I don't think I have to play certain songs, and that's a good thing considering that I want to play the newer material."

Like most singer-songwriters, Isbell is most excited about his most recent batch of songs.

"I enjoy playing the current ones," Isbell said. "I know I'm not going to cringe at some of the lines I wrote recently. I can't say that about some of the lines I wrote 20 years ago. When I look back at some songs, I'm like, 'I could have done better with that one.'“

The entertainment business often focuses on those that are under 30 years of age. However, such recording artists as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young have crafted some exceptional albums during their twilight years.

"That's true, but it's not an easy thing to do," Isbell said. "As you get older you have to stay vulnerable and emotionally generous. That's the hard part. You get better at your craft as you get older but also tend to get more private. Sometimes that can make it hard to write about real things. There's more collateral damage when you get older since there are people you care about. You tend to get softer. When you're 23 years old, you might not have the ability to write songs in a concise way. But when you're 23, it's like, 'I don't give a crap if I hurt somebody's feelings. I'm just trying to write a song here.' It's funny how things change when you're older."

Isbell remains open and provocative with "Foxes in the Snow." "Don't Be Tough," one of the deepest and most impactful songs on the album, sounds like advice given to a youngster by an older, wise individual.

"That's how I wrote it," Isbell said. "It was something in the vein of a John Prine talking to a kid. There's a story behind the song. I wrote 'Don't Be Tough' in the studio, which is something I never do. I was on the first floor of Electric Lady (Studios in New York), but Andre 3000 wanted to come in and play the flute. I love Andre so I went upstairs into Jack Antonoff's studio. It was so cold. I couldn't put on the heater since it would be so noisy. We left the heater off and my hands froze up. I was really frustrated. I just wrote the song to get out of the funk I was in so I could change my attitude. It worked and I got a song out of it."

The title of the album is similar to the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian's charming and quirky tune "Fox in the Snow."

"I know," Isbell said with a chuckle. "Some people are going to think this is an album full of Belle and Sebastian songs. That's not so yet, but maybe one day I'll do that. I like Belle and Sebastian. Their songs are so twee. But if I sang them in a Southern accent, they would pass as country songs. I can hear Johnny Cash singing ‘I Fought in a War.’ It would make total sense."

Isbell is content with his new girlfriend, an album that's about to come out and a tour that's commencing.

"It's a good time right now," Isbell said. "I'm ready to leave here and go on the road."